The 5 & 1 Review | Street Fighter X Tekken Vita

Welcome back to another 5&1 Review. We’ll be looking at one of the latest Vita fighters this time, Street Fighter X Tekken.

Street Fighter X Tekken

What is the game: For those that played Street Fighter X Tekken on PS3 or 360, you’ll know what to expect here. All the features and characters from the PS3 version are seen in here, and there really isn’t a lot added besides new touchscreen features here and there.

How does it work: Gameplay is pretty standard as far as fighters go, and is identical to console versions. Fights are 2v2, with partners being able to be swapped in and out, allowing moves to be chained pretty easily.

The game features the Arcade mode, as well as Versus against the computer, Network to take on friends over PSN and via Ad Hoc, a Training area and Challenge mode. The last mode gives you Trials that tasks you to do certain combos or moves with characters, while the Missions task you to beat opponents with certain requirements.

While the extra modes are nice, fans of the game and genre will mainly be concerned with the Network mode. In the matches I played, I really didn’t experience much lag or input delays from what I was hitting on the buttons. However, keep in mind that I’m not the type of fighting gamer that will count frames to know exactly when to launch the next combo. I’m a pretty standard fighting game fan: I enjoy it, but not enough to spend dozens of hours mastering every small part of it.

In addition, like previous Street Fighter titles you can customize characters costumes, colors, Battle saying that will be seen online and more. You can also set quick combos that can be launched with a few button presses and edit your Gems to use in battle.

For those that didn’t play the console version, the Gem system will give boosts to current abilities, like more attack, speed or defense, during a battle by meeting certain requirements, such as locking so many attacks or launching a few special attacks. In addition, Assist gems can also be equipped that make moves easier or harder to pull off. However, easier moves will make you have less speed, defense or attack normally.

There are a few differences that keep this from being as great as the console versions. The biggest problem I ran into were the long load times. I noticed sometimes I’d wait over a minute just for a match to load against the computer, and that’s not counting what it takes to load into a multiplayer match.

In addition, the graphics do take a bit of a hit compared to console versions. However, it’s still bursting with color and is great to watch the characters launch fireballs and moves.

As far as touch screen controls go, you can operate most menus through the Vita front screen. In combat, you can make super-simplified controls using the touchscreen, along with mapping combos or buttons to four spots on the screen.

As a little bonus for PS3 owners of the game, you can enter a code that gives new costumes for the original 38 characters in the game, and also unlock the 12 extra characters on the PS3.

Why should you care: Because, except for some loading times and graphics, the port is pretty good. While it feels like there are a few balancing issues here and there, Capcom has been working to update those and make the fighter feel as smooth as its console counterpart. Plus, it’s always fun taking on friends online on the go.

Who should buy it: Fans that want to play a solid fighter on the go. Vita owners that don’t have an interest in fighting games may enjoy a time or two through story, but will hop in a few online matches and probably get frustrated quickly. However, gamers that love memorizing combos and counting frames will enjoy being able to play this on trips or away from the PS3.

When should you get it: If you’re a fighting fan, I’d suggest sooner rather than later so you can enjoy it before Dead or Alive 5 Plus gets released next year. Plus, you can take on PS3 owners over PSN as well, meaning you ought to pick it up before the number playing online starts to dwindle.

Where is it available: On the PlayStation Network, as well as pretty much any place you can find Vita games. The game will set you back about $39.99.The 5 & 1 Review | Street Fighter X Tekken Vita, 4.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating